Volunteers working daily in area homes two months later

LONGMONT -- More than two months after flooding damaged hundreds of homes across Boulder County, volunteers are becoming sparse. But one Longmont group is still hard at work.

A recovery effort organized by United Church of Christ Longmont is sending volunteers to area homes nearly every day to help residents with flood repairs.

"We have no plans to stop or slow the efforts here," coordinator John Rostykus said. "We understand this is a long-term thing. We're in this for the long haul."

The group was launched Sept. 15, the Sunday following the flood, by members of the congregation looking for ways to contribute to local recovery efforts, Rostykus said.

The congregation had some experience in disaster recovery and working with homeowners after six trips to Louisiana from 2007 to 2012 to help with cleanup and repairs.

About 80 volunteers, including members of the congregation and Longmont residents, began working immediately. As emergency needs decreased, so did volunteers. But there is still a group of about 20 workers who continue to repair homes in Longmont, Rostykus said.

Most days, crews of one to 20 volunteers are working on two to four homes in Longmont, Rostykus said. Since many volunteers work during the week, larger groups tend to show up on the weekends, he said.

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So far, the group has worked in 15 to 20 homes around Longmont, doing everything from mucking out basements to putting up sheet rock and doing electrical work.

Flood relief grants and donations have allowed the group to provide materials to some homeowners, as well as the labor of volunteers, Rostykus said.

Some of the group's volunteers are current and former contractors, carpenters, building inspectors and electricians, Rostykus said, giving them the expertise to fix just about any problem.

United Church of Christ volunteer Jim Bell measures baseboard trim in the home of Ben Ready and Janet Walker Ready on Wade Road Friday.
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LEWIS GEYER
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Volunteers Jim Bell and John Parsons put up trim in Ben Ready and Janet Walker Ready's basement Friday in The Valley neighborhood where crews have been working for nearly two months.

Ready, who attends UCC Longmont with his wife and three children, said they are "bleeding gratitude for the wingless angels who are amazing, happy, patient, skilled and do everything with love in their hearts."

Floodwater destroyed the home's garden level, which had to be drained of standing water, gutted and rebuilt -- a project that would not have been financially feasible for the family without volunteers, Ben Ready said.

"Insurance didn't cover anything and FEMA did give us some help, but it in no way came close to paying the cost of all of the materials and the labor," Ready said. "Without these volunteers we'd be broke right now."

Rostykus said volunteers are hoping to complete the work at Ready's home by Thanksgiving.

Last week, a team of volunteers from the United Church of Christ in Creede helped local volunteers lay sub-flooring in Christie Walker's home near First Avenue and Bowen Street.

Walker's home was badly damaged in the flood and has required extensive cleanup and repairs that likely will take weeks or months to complete, Rostykus said, but UCC Longmont volunteers will be there as long as they're needed.

"We're helping homeowners and volunteers process the tragedy and grieving that's going on in addition to the repairs," Rostykus said.

Other volunteer groups from across the country are planning trips to Longmont to help with UCC's efforts, he said.

"It's easy for us to get caught up on rebuilding houses, but really we're building community," Rostykus said.

"We're not just putting sheet rock back up. We're not just making our volunteers feel good," he said. "We're creating a space where people can meet each other and connect and share their stories."

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